Pretty Lights live band debuts on Conan with Talib Kweli

Published: July 18, 2013

By: Anand Harsh

The former home of the Masturbating Bear and Gravy Boat Lighthouse has a new feather in its cap. Conan played host to the debut performances of the Pretty Lights live band. Derek Vincent Smith was flanked by Pretty Lights Music labelmates Break Science (drummer Adam Deitch and producer/keyboardist Borahm Lee), as well as Eric Krasno from Soulive/Lettuce and conscious rapper extraordinaire Talib Kweli.

Earlier this year, Zedd performed "Clarity" with Foxes and Alvin Risk on The Late Show with David Letterman. Last night's performance of "Around the Block" not only trumpets the arrival of the PL live band, but it signals a sea change. Network and cable television has to accept that the kids with their laptops covered in stickers and weird devices have come to stake their claim in the live performance realm.

Don't expect to see DJs mixing live on late night talk shows as a matter of course. Zedd still played piano, and Smith triggered samples live backed by a pair of singers and a splash of horns. But the shift has started. Bigger acts will all make the move to some form of live stage show with instruments as the rush to television gets underway. But TV will also meet them halfway.

As for the Pretty Lights live band, who knows who's going to make it to the touring act, but we don't have long to wait, as the nationwide road show is coming soon.